Definitely, I mean I think when I started veterinarians in the zoo were something new, because there were very few of us, because we didn’t have the drugs to even be able to do good veterinary care. And so that has changed. I mean you know, the medical care is… Read More
Can zoo animals be reintroduced into the wild, if there is a wild to do it?… Read More
Why would people ever pay to go to a football game or a baseball game or any sporting event?… Read More
‘Cause you can see it on TV for nothing. Well, it’s not the same, it’s a different experience. And going to a zoo is different than seeing, you know, to see an elephant, you know, or a tiger, or any animal in person is different than seeing it on the… Read More
People, you can’t just feed them information and expect them to keep coming back. People come to the zoo to have a good time. Now when they’re there you can educate them, and get them, you know I think, change their attitudes or their opinions. But if they’re not having… Read More
Well I think it’s been a gradual change. You know, Charlie was instrumental in helping to change that. Hopefully I was part of that, and to educate the visitor about these animals. Now can you, people will say, “Well, we really don’t need zoos,” ’cause today you can get it… Read More
So these are, would you say those and maybe others are factors that changed the zoo, St. Louis Zoo, as an entertainment venue, which I think was envisioned by the Vierhellers- Vierheller was the first director of the zoo- To be more of a conservation center?… Read More
What’s your opinion about, generally about that?… Read More
Well, we had three different shows as I started. We no longer have those shows. We still have a sea lion show. At one point we did have a show that we tried with birds primarily flying in, a lot of hawks, and I think birds of prey. In terms… Read More
And so gradually we moved away from them and into more conservation activities. We still have a sea lion show, and that’s still a popular entertainment thing, but it is also a very good educational thing. They do try to get the messages across to the people. I think, you… Read More
Oh yeah, that was with a whole group of zoos. Now you’d mentioned I don’t know what happened to that facility in Arkansas, whether anything ever came of that, because it was essentially, well you know zoos who are, you know, over the years the elephant SSP, species survival plan… Read More
Yeah, now St. Louis was famous for its animal acts, why did they stop?… Read More
And do animal shows like birds in flight or other types of things, demonstrations of marine mammals, so forth, help to get the message across to visitors about a group of animals or a conservation effort?… Read More
And because there was some thought that elephants oughta go to some of these, I don’t know what they call them, not a rehab center, but a- Sanctuaries?… Read More
And some of the sanctuaries that we were aware of, we thought that our care was much better than what they got at the sanctuaries. So we were looking at a place in Arkansas, which just never did come about. Read More
Was that, that was not just St. Louis, that was with group of zoos?… Read More
I think when I got involved with a little bit, I said I was on some committees with animal rights people, it was actually dealing, for the city of St. Louis, because their animal control group was considering some different things. And I think trying to understand where they’re coming… Read More
I think we can do better.” Did you have an issue with animal rights people when the St. Louis Zoo wanted to purchase an elephants facility in Arkansas to turn it into a breeding facility?… Read More
That’s when I think we had a few protestors, and we were part of a group that was looking at getting facility in Arkansas that has some elephants down there in large open spaces. I don’t know exactly how big they are, but acreage. Read More
Did you find it, do you think there’s a way for zoos to achieve some relationship with animal activists or animal rights?… Read More